CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORY
From a Golf-Market Insight to an App Built to Last
SMGB saw an opportunity to help golfers answer a question most golf technology overlooked: Which golf ball is right for my game? Technology Rivers helped turn that concept into a designed, developed, and launched mobile application that reached approximately 25,000 to 30,000 downloads.
“They built a lasting application that’s kind of stood the test of time.”
Tim Chase
CEO, SMGB (Scan My Golf Ball)
Hear Tim's Experience Working with Technology Rivers
Tim Chase came to Technology Rivers with a concept for helping golfers identify golf balls better suited to their individual game.
In his story, Tim explains how Technology Rivers helped SMGB move from storyboard to product design, through multiple iterations and ultimately into the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. He also discusses the team’s responsiveness, custom AI functionality, and how the application has continued performing as mobile platforms have evolved.
Client
Tim Chase
Role
CEO, SMGB (Scan My Golf Ball)
Engagement
Mobile app design, development, launch, and ongoing support
Industry
Golf Technology / Consumer Mobile Application
Focus
Product Design • Mobile Development • Custom AI • App Store Launch
Why Tim Values Working with Technology Rivers
From Concept to Product
SMGB knew what it wanted the application to accomplish, but not exactly what the finished experience should look like. Technology Rivers worked from the initial storyboard, made recommendations, and helped refine the application through multiple versions.
Design + Technology Under One Team
Tim specifically highlights the combination of Technology Rivers’ design and technical capabilities. The team did not simply implement a predefined interface. They helped determine how SMGB’s concept should actually look and be presented to golfers.
Communication That Kept Everyone Connected
SMGB, its consultants, and Technology Rivers were working from different locations. Tim credits the team’s effective use of Slack, combined with weekly calls, with bringing everyone together and helping keep the project organized and on time.
An App That Continued to Hold Up
Technology Rivers’ work extended beyond the initial launch. Tim says the application continued running smoothly through successive iOS and Android operating-system versions, while the team remained responsive to changes required by Apple and Google.
"It's a good solid team. You can depend on them. They're timely, they're thoughtful, they're creative."
Tim Chase, CEO, SMGB
THE PRODUCT OPPORTUNITY
Helping Golfers Answer a Surprisingly Difficult Question
Tim had been golfing for years when he identified a gap in the market.
There was already plenty of technology available to help golfers improve their game. But one equipment decision was not being addressed the way Tim believed it could be:
What’s the best golf ball for this particular golfer?
Different golfers have different skill levels, swing speeds, spin characteristics, and swing tendencies. SMGB’s idea was to build an application that could help a golfer scan a ball and understand how well it matched their individual game.
The concept was there.
The finished product wasn’t.
SMGB needed a team that could help turn that concept into an application golfers could actually use.
"We had the concept for what the app would become, but I don't think we knew what it would look like or exactly how it would be presented."
Tim Chase, CEO, SMGB
FROM STORYBOARD TO WORKING PRODUCT
The Product Took Shape Through Iteration
SMGB did not arrive with a finished specification for Technology Rivers to simply implement.
Tim and his team storyboarded what they wanted the application to accomplish. Technology Rivers then reviewed that vision, made recommendations, and developed multiple versions as the teams refined the experience.
Tim describes the process as one of continual improvement.
That mattered because the challenge wasn’t only getting the underlying functionality to work. SMGB also had to determine how golfers would interact with that functionality and how the recommendation should be presented.
Technology Rivers’ design team became an important part of answering those questions.
AI + MOBILE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
Custom AI Built Around a Practical Golfing Decision
Tim describes SMGB as having built its own custom AI for golfers.
A golfer could be on the golf course, scan a golf ball, and receive an indication of how well that ball matched their individual game.
SMGB created a scoring system that could show a golfer a high match, such as 80%, 90%, or 100%, or indicate that another ball might only be around a 30% match.
Tim specifically references factors including swing speed and spin rates when explaining the product.
The important part was what that intelligence enabled.
Rather than giving golfers another set of abstract statistics, SMGB was designed to answer a practical question in real time:
Is this a good golf ball for the way I play?
Technology Rivers helped translate that product concept into the mobile experience golfers could actually use on the course.
DISTRIBUTED COLLABORATION
Different Locations, One Working Team
The SMGB project involved people working from different locations, including Tim, Graham, outside consultants, and the Technology Rivers team.
Tim specifically remembers Slack as an important part of making that collaboration work.
Technology Rivers used Slack to bring the participants together, while weekly calls established a consistent working rhythm.
The geographic distance did not become the obstacle Tim might have expected.
Most of the Technology Rivers team was in Pakistan, creating a significant time-zone difference. But Tim says SMGB rarely felt it.
“There’s a significant difference in the time zones, but truthfully we never really felt it.”
Tim recalls questions posted in Slack receiving prompt responses and describes the team as consistently responsive.
FROM DEVELOPMENT TO THE APP STORES
Technology Rivers Helped Carry the Product Through Launch
Once the teams had iterated their way to the right product, another stage remained: getting it into the hands of golfers.
Tim says Technology Rivers was responsible for helping get the application into the App Store.
The product ultimately became available through both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
And the support did not end with publication.
As smaller requirements and changes arose from Apple or Google, Tim says Technology Rivers responded by making the necessary adjustments and helping keep the application available.
SMGB retained ownership of its IP and could continue making the changes and adjustments it needed.
LONG-TERM PRODUCT PERFORMANCE
"A Lasting Application That's Kind of Stood the Test of Time"
A mobile application’s real test does not end on launch day.
Apple and Google continue changing their operating systems, requirements, and underlying mobile environments. Applications have to continue functioning through those changes.
Tim says SMGB did.
As iPhone and Android went through successive operating-system versions, the application continued operating smoothly.
Tim reports no issues with the application continuing to run and says it still had steady users using it on a daily basis.
For Tim, that became one of the clearest signs of the quality of what had been built.
BUSINESS IMPACT
25,000–30,000 Downloads, and a Valuable Lesson About Product vs. Market Adoption
SMGB reached approximately 25,000 to 30,000 downloads, which Tim describes as significant.
The application made it into both major app stores, attracted users, and continued receiving daily usage.
But Tim is equally candid about what happened next.
SMGB’s economic model required approximately 100,000 downloads. The business did not reach that level of market penetration.
Tim makes an important distinction between the product and the commercial challenge.
The application itself worked well.
The difficulty was generating enough adoption and usage to support the economic model the company had established.
Tim explicitly says he does not attribute that shortfall to Technology Rivers. In his view, it was a marketing and market-penetration challenge.
That distinction makes his assessment of the development engagement especially meaningful.
Technology Rivers delivered the product. The next challenge was getting enough of the market to discover and adopt it.
"The app itself worked very well. I think what we underestimated was the difficulty of getting into the market and getting the adoption and usage that we would need."
Tim Chase, CEO, SMGB
A REFERRAL BUILT ON A PREVIOUS SUCCESS
Graham Had Already Worked with Technology Rivers
SMGB’s relationship with Technology Rivers did not begin with a cold vendor search.
Tim’s business partner, Graham Dodge, had already worked with Technology Rivers on SickWeather.
In Graham’s own testimonial, he describes initially turning to Technology Rivers for Java and Android development before expanding the relationship into iOS development. He also describes the Technology Rivers team as being accessible through different communication channels as though they were members of his own team.
When SMGB needed a development partner, that previous experience mattered.
Tim says Graham handled most of the interviews with potential providers because Graham was the more technical member of their partnership.
The result was a new Technology Rivers engagement, this time focused on bringing SMGB to life.
THE BOTTOM LINE
"A Good Solid Team You Can Depend On"
Tim’s experience with Technology Rivers covers much more than writing code.
SMGB began with an idea for what the product should accomplish.
Technology Rivers helped determine what it should look like, refined the experience through multiple iterations, built the underlying product, helped launch it through the app stores, and continued supporting it as the mobile platforms evolved.
What His Experience Demonstrates
- Dependability: A team Tim says SMGB could rely on.
- Product Thinking: Recommendations and iteration rather than simply implementing a storyboard.
- Design Capability: A design team Tim credits with helping define the finished experience.
- Responsiveness: Consistent communication despite significant geographic and time-zone differences.
- Technical Durability: An application that continued functioning through successive generations of iOS and Android.
"We were successful, and we couldn't have done it without the Technology Rivers team."
Tim Chase, CEO, SMGB
More Client Stories
Graham Dodge
Founder & Founding CEO, SickWeather
Before partnering with Tim Chase on SMGB, Graham had already worked with Technology Rivers on SickWeather, initially for Android development and later for iOS. His experience with the team helped lead to Technology Rivers being considered for the SMGB project.
Dustin Ward
Founder, Tee Time
Another golf-focused founder, Dustin came to Technology Rivers with a product vision but without an app-development background. Technology Rivers helped him turn the concept into a functional application and move from idea toward a tangible, scalable product.
Justin Tracy
CTO, BOSSS
After working with numerous third-party development vendors, Justin describes Technology Rivers as a team that understood the end goal of the product and contributed to UI, UX, and product usability rather than simply executing a specification.
Have an App Idea but Need the Team to Make It Real?
You may know what your product needs to accomplish without knowing exactly how it should look, work, or get from concept to launch. Technology Rivers can help bring product design and engineering together to turn that vision into a working application.